Matilda Reviews: The Library by Sarah Stewart

Elizabeth Brown doesn’t like to play with dolls and she doesn’t like to skate. What she does like to do is read books. Lots of books. The only problem is that her library has gotten so big she can’t even use her front door anymore. What should Elizabeth Brown do? Start her own public library, of course! With charming verse and watercolors Sarah Stewart and David Small celebrate one of America’s oldest and finest institutions.

My Thoughts

My coworker and fellow book lover kindly lent me this book last week, and I discreetly read it at my desk almost immediately. It was absolutely adorable.

Written in a (sometimes a bit clunky) rhyme, The Library is about Elizabeth Brown, who loves books from the moment she arrives in this world. Foregoing almost all other leisure activities, Elizabeth reads and collects books to her heart’s content (even while vacuuming!). Her collection grows at such an alarming rate that eventually she opens a library of her own.

David Small’s watercolor illustrations are gorgeous, and almost every page contains a cat and/or Elizabeth’s teddy bear. (My coworker and I flipped through and located the two everywhere we could.)

The Library is quaint, funny and perfect for anyone who loves books! I saw so much of myself in Elizabeth Brown. Maybe my destiny is to open my own library, too.